CHINA

Hong Kong Doubles Smoking Fines in Strictest Crackdown Yet

Published: Dec. 31, 2025 3:19 p.m. GMT+8

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Lighting up a cigarette while waiting for a bus in this Asian financial hub is about to cost more than a tasting menu at some of the city’s high-end restaurants.

Effective Jan. 1, 2026, the Hong Kong government will enforce its strictest tobacco-control measures to date, doubling the fixed penalty for smoking in restricted areas to HK$3,000 ($386) from HK$1,500. The move coincides with a significant expansion of statutory no-smoking areas.

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Hong Kong will double the fixed penalty for smoking in restricted areas to HK$3,000 starting Jan. 1, 2026, alongside expanded no-smoking zones.
Smoking bans will soon include alternative products, with strict penalties for e-cigarettes and possession of vape oil from April 2026.
Hong Kong’s smoking rate dropped to 9.1% in 2023; authorities report nearly 14,000 annual deaths from smoking and secondhand smoke.

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What Happened When

2014：: Beijing implemented strict tobacco control regulations.

2015：: Exposure rate to secondhand smoke on the Chinese mainland was 76.3%.

By 2023：: Hong Kong's smoking rate fell to 9.1%.

2024：: A policy survey reported that approximately 577,000 adults still smoke daily in Hong Kong.

2024：: Exposure rate to secondhand smoke on the Chinese mainland dropped to 46.5%.

Between January 2021 and June 2025：: Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office conducted over 19,400 inspections at public transport facilities, issuing over 9,400 fines.